Misha

Misha first approached Cilan and asked if he had seen her lost Purrloin. He then led her to the cave Purrloin had taken Ash, Iris, and Meowth to. When Misha reunited with Purrloin inside a cave, he appeared to have some animosity towards her. It was because she did not return home and therefore believed she had abandoned him. She tried to explain to Purrloin that the only reason she didn't return home was because she had broken her arm while she was out. Still, Purrloin didn't believe her.

Even though she was injured herself, Misha attempted to help Cilan rescue Ash, Iris, Meowth, and the other Pokémon from the sand pit. However, the bridge she and Cilan were standing on broke and they fell into the trap themselves. Purrloin wanted to help rescue her but she told him to find help instead. A while later, she and the others are rescued by the flock of Tranquill Purrloin had stolen from earlier who he begged forgiveness from.

Once Misha was rescued, she thanked Purrloin for going back to the Tranquill in order to save her. Seeing how infatuated both Meowth and Oshawott were with Purrloin, she revealed to them that he was actually male and not female as they believed. This of course left Meowth and Oshawott disappointed.

Pokémon

Purrloin ♂

Purrloin first appeared to Ash and his friends while escaping a flock of angry Tranquill that he stole berries from. Meowth fell in love with him instantly, in the belief that he was a female, and tried to protect him from them. Ash sent out Oshawott then Pikachu to get rid of the Tranquill. Like Meowth, Oshawott also fell for Purrloin which caused them to fight one another for "her" affection. Purrloin decided to use the misunderstanding to his advantage and pretended to be female to get them to do what he wanted. Ash and Iris also believed he was cute but Cilan appeared to have a bad feeling about him.

After seeing all of the Sitrus Berries that Ash had in his backpack, Purrloin decided he would stick with the group so he could get a chance to steal them. He asked them for their assistance and leads the group, except for Cilan who refused to help, to a cave. It was there that he was able to steal Ash's backpack and attempted to make his escape.

Purrloin was soon confronted by his Trainer, Misha, who he thought had abandoned him and therefore was angry with. When she fell into a sand pit, Purrloin showed that he still cared for her. So much so that he went back to the Tranquill he stole from and pleaded for forgiveness so that they would save Misha, even allowing them to attack him. Once Misha was safe, Purrloin apologized to the group for tricking them.